Elgar and Bridge/Schwabe: Cello Concertos review – hugely impressive and refreshingly straightforward
A performance full of finely realised detail and lacking in bombast ensures these two great and contrasting British cello concertos shine - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarConverge & Chelsea Wolfe: Bloodmoon: I review – an explosive combination
The band’s long-awaited collaboration with dark rocker Wolfe is slower and more melodic than their usual albums, yet even heavier - Matt Mills
starstarstarstarstarIdles: Crawler review – thrilling, glass-gargling introspection
No holds are barred, and nothing is off-limits, as Joe Talbot goes deep on this expansive follow-up to last year’s Ultra Mono - Damien Morris
starstarstarstarstarRadiohead: Kid A Mnesia review – two classic albums, plus surprises
The band’s 20th-anniversary reissue of Kid A and Amnesiac along with unreleased material makes for fascinating listening - Phil Mongredien
starstarstarstarstarEris Drew: Quivering in Time review – divinely powerful and euphoric house
A compelling, cleverly inventive LP emerges from the New Hampshire woods care of a DJ and producer channeling her healing ‘Motherbeat’ - Tayyab Amin
starstarstarstarstarModest Mussorgsky: Unorthodox Music review – operatic vividness and tremendous panache
A ‘cradle-to-grave songspiel’ describing the arc of a woman’s life is brilliantly conceived by soprano Booth and pianist Glynn - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarSelf Esteem: Prioritise Pleasure review – Britain’s funniest, frankest pop star drums out her demons
The sound of an artist coming into her own, Rebecca Taylor’s remarkable second album as Self Esteem mixes the intimate and conversational with the unabashedly dramatic - Laura Snapes
starstarstarstarstarMalcolm Jiyane: Umdali review – life-affirming South African jazz
A figure in his country’s jazz scene since his early teens, Jiyane’s skill comes to the fore in his anticipated debut as a bandleader, a set full of hope and momentum - Ammar Kalia
starstarstarstarstarBach: Ich Habe Genug review – as invigorating as a plunge into cold water
Cantatas 82, 32 and 106 trace a vivid path from despair to hope in this uplifting recording with heart-stopping moments - Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarSam Fender: Seventeen Going Under review – music that punches the air and the gut
The North Shields songwriter replaces his former broad-brush politicking with rousing but arrestingly bleak, personal material that puts his indie-rock peers in the shade - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarChick Corea Akoustic Band: Live review – a remarkable feat of virtuosity and rapport
Corea’s trio are captured in all their unplugged brilliance in this live recording from 2018 - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarLil Nas X: Montero review – pop-rap at its proudest, biggest and best
This blockbuster debut album matches its eclecticism and broad emotional range with high-quality hooks throughout – and all with the rapper’s sexuality front and centre - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarOn DSCH: Works by Shostakovich and Stevenson review – Levit’s spectacular wild ride
Pairing Stevenson’s Passacaglia on DSCH with Shostakovich’s equally epic 24 Preludes is a unique combination of rarity and virtuosity - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarRichard Dawson and Circle: Henki review – a botanical rock classic
A sprawling epic written from the perspective of a seed and a lament for an ancient tree are highlights on this inspired collaboration - Phil Mongredien
starstarstarstarstarDaedelus x Joshua Idehen: Holy Water Over Sons review – lullabies for the end of the world
This unlikely duo forged in lockdown roam across swirling electronic soundscapes with their powerful protest messages - Kate Hutchinson
starstarstarstarstarSinne Eeg and Thomas Fonnesbæk: Staying in Touch review – a great Danish double act
The seamless interplay between Eeg’s vocals and Fonnesbæk’s double bass makes for unlikely but happy listening - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarElbow: Flying Dream 1 review – prog-infused expanses
The northern romanticists’ lockdown album opens out into gentle, restrained songs of warmth and empathy - Phil Mongredien
starstarstarstarstarSnoop Dogg: The Algorithm review – Uncle Snoop presides over all-star concept album
Guest spots from Method Man, Busta and Mary J Blige are highlights on this bumper record from the rapper turned label exec - Damien Morris
starstarstarstarstarRobert Plant and Alison Krauss: Raise the Roof review – uplifting and enthralling
From blue-eyed soul to English folk, the unlikely dream team’s second instalment of covers is a welcome dose of musical reassurance - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarChristy Moore: Flying Into Mystery review – a storytelling masterclass
Spanning the climate crisis, Bob Dylan and turf cutting, the Irish folk great is as commanding as ever - Neil Spencer
starstarstarstarstarAdele: 30 review – waterworks turned up to 11
Taking raw emotion to the next level, Adele relives the year her marriage fell apart on this self-flagellating powerhouse of an album - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarOlivia Block: Innocent Passage in the Territorial Sea review – a magic-mushroom trip in music
The composer explored psychedelics during lockdown, creating synth music evocative enough to conjure aural hallucinations even if you’re not under the influence - Jennifer Lucy Allan
starstarstarstarstarRimsky-Korsakov: Sadko review – film of love-triangle opera keeps fairytale alive
Champion of the Russian composer’s operas Dmitri Tcherniakov notches up another with this Bolshoi theme-park staging - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarHouston Person: Live in Paris review – easy brilliance from a classic lineup
The saxophonist and band play with an all-round lightness of touch in this live set from 2019 - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarJuçara Marçal: Delta Estácio Blues review – radically creative Brazilian experimentation
Melding industrial 808s with melodic softness, Marçal weaves disparate strands into a playful and powerful whole - Ammar Kalia
starstarstarstarstarTaylor Swift: Red (Taylor’s Version) review – getting back together with a classic
Swift re-records the 2012 album on which she first embraced synth-pop, tweaking songs and adding others: a mix of saccharine fluff and superb keepers - Laura Snapes
starstarstarstarstarAlexandre Kantorow: Brahms review – gothic darkness and beguiling sweetness
Kantorow’s affinity with the German Romantic sparks mercurially expressive and resonant playing in this follow-up to his 2020 Brahms disc - Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarDamon Albarn: The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows review – beautifully haunting
One of the most driven artists of the Britpop era, now unbothered by commercial success, is back with a second solo album that drifts along in a melancholy, stoned mist - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarJoan As Police Woman, Tony Allen, Dave Okumu: The Solution Is Restless review – subtle and slinky
This classy collaboration sounds familiar but unique at the same time, a jazzy musing on what it takes to live - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarJustin Adams and Mauro Durante: Still Moving review – a bravura performance
(Ponderosa)From blazing rock-outs to aching love songs, this inspired duo deliver a thrilling and spontaneous set - Neil Spencer
starstarstarstarstarJohnathan Blake: Homeward Bound review – virtuosi jazz unit scorch and shimmer
Drummer Blake joins with Dezon Douglas, Immanuel Wilkins, Joel Ross and David Virelles to create enthralling post-bop, soul jazz and Coltraneian pop - John Fordham
starstarstarstarstarAldo Clementi: Canoni Circolari review – joyous polyphonies and tubular bells
Imitation and canon are at the heart of Clementi’s sonically gorgeous pieces featuring flute, violin, piano and percussion - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarThe War on Drugs: I Don’t Live Here Anymore review – songs for cruising endless highways
Recorded in seven studios over three years, Adam Granduciel and co’s latest is a rich, mesmerising affair - Phil Mongredien
starstarstarstarstarPasquale Grasso: Pasquale Plays Duke review – boggling brilliance from the guitar virtuoso
Grasso astonishes on an album of Duke Ellington covers, with classy, unshowy support - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarDoran: Doran review – magical ‘freak folk’ with a centuries-old sound
Elizabeth LaPrelle of Anna & Elizabeth anchors the four-piece behind this comforting, intimate album of a cappella harmonies and Appalachian ballads - Jude Rogers
starstarstarstarstarBuffalo Nichols: Buffalo Nichols review – urgent, steeped-in-tradition blues
The Texas-based singer-songwriter’s juggles the personal and the political on his compelling debut - Neil Spencer
starstarstarstarstarHelado Negro: Far In review – excavating beauty with joyous songs
Love is the common thread through Roberto Carlos Lange’s playful album, in which funk-tinged celebrations sparkle alongside his intimate synth-folk - Tayyab Amin
starstarstarstarstarBex Burch and Leafcutter John: Boing! review – glorious confusion
Ghanaian gyil melds with space-age electronics for a spluttering, time-warping and thoroughly compelling collaboration - John Lewis
starstarstarstarstarLiza Lim: Singing in Tongues review – visceral, confrontational and totally compelling
Working with the excellent Australian ensemble Elision, the set is a superb demonstration of Lim’s originality - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarRemi Wolf: Juno review – hardly a dull moment
The Californian’s high-energy debut fizzes with imagination - Kadish Morris
starstarstarstarstarShannon Lay: Geist review – quietly elegant songs with hidden depths
Contemplative and full of subtle touches – and a Syd Barrett cover – the LA singer-songwriter’s fifth album dives deep - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarJo Harrop: The Heart Wants review – a rare mix of delicacy and boldness
The singer’s original material and a guest list of top musicians fit like a glove on this follow-up to last year’s Weathering the Storm - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarJoy Crookes: Skin review – vibrant politics and beautiful storytelling
The Bangladeshi-Irish south Londoner’s urgent debut album laces trauma and social commentary with bouncing melody and retro stylings - Alim Kheraj
starstarstarstarstarTalk Memory by BadBadNotGood review – widescreen wanderings
The Canadian trio evoke a sense of the unknown on their cinematic fifth album - Kate Hutchinson
starstarstarstarstarJames Blake: Friends That Break Your Heart review – a breakup album with a difference
The singer-songwriter articulates the pain of lost friendships against a backdrop of chamber music and trap pop - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarPokey LaFarge: In the Blossom of Their Shade review – all kinds of breezy Americana
Surf guitars, R&B and cod-Caribbean sunshine combine in this upbeat response to lockdown - Neil Spencer
starstarstarstarstarJohn Coltrane: A Love Supreme Live in Seattle review – a unique record of a landmark band
This amateur 1965 recording from a Seattle club shows Coltrane and his ensemble, expanded to include saxist Pharoah Sanders, at a pivotal moment - John Fordham
starstarstarstarstarRay BLK: Access Denied review – an unabashedly mainstream debut
The south Londoner aims to be “the black Madonna” on this taut set of wise words and killer hooks with a distinct sense of place - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarStan Getz and Astrud Gilberto: Live at Berlin Jazz Festival 1966 review – more than impressive
The American saxophonist’s quartet were on top form here, and proved a perfect backing band for the star Brazilian singer - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarVarious artists: In the Echo – Field Recordings from Earlsfort Terrace review – a venue enlivened by song
Recording for the 150th anniversary of Dublin’s National Concert Hall, a stellar roster of Irish musicians turn out treasures old and new - Jude Rogers
starstarstarstarstarElisabeth Lutyens: Piano Works Volume 1 review – a meticulous, affectionate survey
Prolific, radical and scandalously overlooked, Lutyens gets some belated recognition with Jones’s take on her terse, unadorned piano music - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarThe Specials: Protest Songs 1924-2012 review – genre-hopping calls to action
This selection of covers runs the gamut from Bob Marley to Frank Zappa and proves an excellent stop gap for the perennial activists - Damien Morris
starstarstarstarstarNao: And Then Life Was Beautiful review – soaring to new heights
The Grammy-nominated Londoner takes things to the next level with this impeccably on point third album - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarSusana Baca: Palabras Urgentes review – a sumptuous celebration
In her 50th year in the business, the great Peruvian singer looks forward and back with equal aplomb - Neil Spencer
starstarstarstarstarMaurice Louca: Saet El-Hazz review – transcendent beauty in an unholy racket
The Egyptian guitarist teams up with an extraordinary Lebanese trio for a colourful tangle of sounds resembling a steampunk synth band - John Lewis
starstarstarstarstarSchumann: Alle Lieder review – Schumann lovers will find it irresistible
Christian Gerhaher is front and centre of this impressive complete song project, to which he brings precision and attention to detail - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarNao: And Then Life Was Beautiful review – joy and hope amid the pandemic
Plenty of new albums are considering life with Covid, but few of them are as sensual and gorgeous as this - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarLindsey Buckingham: Lindsey Buckingham review – the sunniest pop and its flipside
Exiled from Fleetwood Mac, the singer-guitarist’s sparkling latest album foreshadows his recent troubles - Phil Mongredien
starstarstarstarstarQuantic and Nidia Góngora: Almas Conectadas review – Colombian gold-panners go orchestral
Pacific coast cantora Góngora’s nature-rooted compositions are given larger dimensions by British electronica producer Quantic - Ammar Kalia
starstarstarstarstarEmployed to Serve: Conquering review – thrilling, gut-churning metal
The brilliant Woking band get heavier than ever, causing motion sickness with their animalistic, groove-laden songs - Harry Sword
starstarstarstarstarManic Street Preachers: The Ultra Vivid Lament review – magic, melancholy and a debt to Abba
The Manics channel Benny and Björn in an album of mostly sparkling songcraft - Phil Mongredien
starstarstarstarstarPat Metheny: Side-Eye NYC (V1.IV) review – new talent and wily reinventions
Metheny’s new trio, with the formidable James Francies on piano and Marcus Gilmore on drums, provoke rapture in this live set - John Fordham
starstarstarstarstarLow: Hey What review – a magnificent redefinition of rock music
The veteran group continue the scorched digital manipulations of 2018 masterpiece Double Negative, but their vocals are left pristine and beautiful - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarLittle Simz: Sometimes I Might Be Introvert review – soul-baring brilliance
Wordsmith Simbiatu Ajikawo unleashes non-stop killer cuts on her extraordinary fourth album - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarHarvey/O’Higgins Project: That’s the Way to Live! review – giving tradition a boost
This respected quartet do their accomplished bit to keep the custom of mixing standards and originals alive - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarJulie Doiron: I Thought of You review – happy sounds from an unhappy place
The Canadian’s smoky vocals blend hope with pain on this laid-back album of lost love and new beginnings - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarDevin Hoff: Voices from the Empty Moor review – stellar lineup for the twists of Anne Briggs
The experimentally minded bassist and star guests including Sharon Van Etten and Julia Holter create these unusual reimaginings, though the vocals don’t always suit Briggs’s songs - Jude Rogers
starstarstarstarstarDavid Bowie: Toy review – 1960s gems polished on lost album
Recorded in 2000 but unreleased, Toy, in a new box set of latterday albums, sees Bowie revisit the past just before he struck out into new territory - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarAdele: 30 review – the defining voice of heartbreak returns
While the topic of her divorce is all-consuming, the singer seems to be pushing gently at the boundaries of what people expect of her - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarJon Hopkins: Music for Psychedelic Therapy review – post-lockdown balm
This pretty, soothing and occasionally transformative trip was inspired by time spent in an Ecuadorean cave - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarSnail Mail: Valentine review – engaging indie folk
Lindsey Jordan’s second Snail Mail album is carefully measured but lacks the painful intimacy of her debut LP - Damien Morris
starstarstarstarstarAbba: Voyage review – full-on and frothy
The return of the Swedish super troupers has plenty of bittersweet erudition, plus a good dollop of mass-market cheese - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarEd Sheeran: Equals review – no more Mr Wild Guy
Despite keeping one foot in the club-pop groove, commitment and maturity set the tone for settled-down Sheeran’s latest outing - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarEd Sheeran: = review – calculated, craven, corny … or brilliantly crafted?
One of the world’s biggest pop stars only slightly tweaks the formula for an album that many will already have decided they either love or hate - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarElton John: The Lockdown Sessions review – Elton as bejewelled curator
This album of collaborations with everyone from Stevie Wonder to Nicki Minaj is by nature disjointed – but fun - Kate Hutchinson
starstarstarstarstarLana Del Rey: Blue Banisters review – a star looking to her legacy
The singer’s eighth album feels familiar, but also pushes at the edges of her usual themes - Emily Mackay
starstarstarstarstarLana Del Rey: Blue Banisters review – as perplexing as she is captivating
Despite weaving relatable scenes of Zoom calls and lockdown weight gain into her distinctive aesthetic, the stylised singer remains as elusive as ever on her eighth album - Rachel Aroesti
starstarstarstarstarI Want the Door to Open by Lala Lala review – ambition and reinvention
Lillie West’s third album steers away from lo-fi indie to impressive, light-touch dream pop - Emily Mackay
starstarstarstarstarMagdalena Bay: Mercurial World review – poolside pop with seductive charm
The LA duo’s debut offers sultry grooves and wraithlike vocals alongside a mix of sweetness and distortion - Laura Snapes
starstarstarstarstarMartinů: Les Fresques, The Parables, Estampes review – mystical musings
The Czech composer’s meditations on Piero’s Arezzo frescoes are among the fascinating works on this rewarding disc - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarTirzah: Colourgrade review – hypnotic intimacies that draw you in
Working once more with Mica Levi, the Essex songwriter sets a dreamy pace on her unpredictable, eclectic second album - Emily Mackay
starstarstarstarstarPotter Payper: Thanks for Waiting review – a new era of levity and pain
The Barking rapper, recently released from prison, makes good on his promise to focus on music and invites in his peers for his major-label debut - Will Pritchard
starstarstarstarstarPublic Service Broadcasting: Bright Magic review – mood music, from Weimar to Bowie
Berlin is the inspiration for the band’s inventive if melancholy fourth album - Phil Mongredien
starstarstarstarstarThe Lathums: How Beautiful Life Can Be review – hearty 00s indie revivalism
The Wigan outfit have risen fast by feeding the eternal appetite for jangly indie – but aren’t as lyrically sharp as their forebears - Rachel Aroesti
starstarstarstarstarTion Wayne: Green With Envy review – a bid for rap’s top table
The chart-topping MC tilts at the mainstream with mixed results - Kate Hutchinson
starstarstarstarstarLil Nas X: Montero review – a fearless cultural dial-shifter
The Old Town Road rapper grabs freely from pop, trap and rock on his full-length debut - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarIl Vologeso review – tickbox story, striking harmonies from Mozart’s opera peer
Ian Page’s live recording is a lively introduction to the music of Niccolò Jommelli, who, like the Bee Gees two centuries later, had an ear for a striking harmony - Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarPark Hye Jin: Before I Die review – forthright to a fault
Bedroom-dreamy and in-your-face all at once, the young rapper-producer’s debut album is a bit of a puzzle - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarSpiers & Boden: Fallow Ground review – a walk on the bright side
The ace duo confound with a folk album featuring not one song about death… - Neil Spencer
starstarstarstarstarKacey Musgraves: Star-Crossed review – a tragedy of wifely strife
The bliss of Musgraves’ Grammy-winning Golden Hour sours on this follow-up, with a breakup narrative that is a little too tidy - Laura Snapes
starstarstarstarstarRoxanne de Bastion: You & Me, We Are the Same review – risk meets reward
The rising singer-songwriter’s ambitious second outing fuses psych, new wave and pure vocals, with a little help from Bernard Butler - Damien Morris
starstarstarstarstarRudimental: Ground Control review – the energy of a thousand leavers’ balls
The drum’n’bass foursome blast their way out of lockdown with a kinetic sound-system joyride - Kate Hutchinson
starstarstarstarstarDrake: Certified Lover Boy review – drizzness as usual
Has hip-hop’s most self-pitying superstar finally grown up? The answer delivered by another album of toasts, boasts and dubious love songs is clear: you bet he hasn’t - Alim Kheraj
starstarstarstarstarWestlife: Wild Dreams review – desperate divorced-dad energy
The stool-bound ballads are the highlights, but elsewhere the icky lyrics and outdated production keep the man-band well away from cool - Rachel Aroesti
starstarstarstarstarAries: Believe in Me, Who Believes in You review – more rhyme than reason
Obtuse lyrics and repetitive arrangements expose a yawning gap between the LA artist’s potential and his delivery - Kadish Morris
starstarstarstarstarAbba: Voyage review – no thank you for the music
After 40 years, the makers of once-sparkling pop are back – but the glamour promised by this album’s two terrific singles goes horribly unfulfilled - Jude Rogers
starstarstarstarstarDiana Ross: Thank You review – an anaemic comeback that should have been great
With disco enjoying one of its periodic moments in the sun, a supremely classy 21st-century reboot was possible. But this isn’t it - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarNavigate by Big Zuu review – an affable but bland concoction
The rapper’s debut album feels like just another brand extension, complete with his own BBQ sauce - Damien Morris
starstarstarstarstarColdplay: Music of the Spheres review – slipping status prompts a desperate pop pivot
Crafted with one eye firmly on the Spotify stats, the band’s synths-heavy ninth album features BTS and Selena Gomez amid a muddled cosmic concept - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarDrake: Certified Lover Boy review – trawl through a conflicted psyche
Amid all the navel-gazing and posturing, the rapper has his moments on this sprawling latest offering - Michael Cragg
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